ButterflyClan: Monarchwing's Journey

Chapter Three

Monarchkit yawned and opened her eyes. Bright sunlight penetrated the nursery ceiling, making the fur and wings of the cats around her dappled with weak sunlight. She buried her head in her wings again, shielding her eyes.

"Monarchkit, are you awake?" someone whispered. Monarchkit looked up to see the form of Sparrowkit standing over her.

"Mmph, yeah. Whadaya want," asked Monarch sleepily.

"Sshh, not so loud. Come quickly, I have something to show you."

Monarchkit was instantly awake. She silently, but excitedly, followed Sparrowkit.

Sparrowkit walked to the back of the nursery, and pushed some branches out of the way. A gaping hole was now in the wall. When the sunlight hit Pearlkit's head, she stirred. "Quickly!" Sparrowkit whispered.

Monarchkit dashed through the hole, and Sparrowkit closed the entrance behind her. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Shh, not yet," Sparrowkit whispered back, motioning with his tail to further along the passage. They both scampered down the leafy corridor. They paused to catch their breath. Before them was a screen of vines, interlocked tightly enough so that you couldn't see what was on the other side.

"What's that?" asked Monarchkit, motioning to the screen. "And what it this place?" She looked around. The ceiling was made of leaves, but the walls and floors were made of hard-packed mud, with dimples all over. She looked closer and realized the dimples were actually tiny paw prints, embedded in the mud. She sniffed them, and the scent was faint, ancient even. One of them, though, was a bit fresher, but still old, and the scent was oddly familiar. Who's is it? she wondered, but she couldn't quite place it.

"It's cool, right?" Sparrowkit's eyes were shining. "Last night I rolled over in my sleep, and crashed through those leaves at the entrance. I wasn't sleepy after that, so I started to explore. And I found this  tunnel, with the paw prints on the walls. And it gets even better." Sparrowkit excitedly nosed apart the vines and disappeared.

Monarchkit hesitated, then followed him. His voice sounded from beyond the vines.

"Wait a sec. Close your eyes."

"Won't I bump into things?" Monarchkit asked.

"I'll guide  you. Trust me."

I do, thought Monarchkit. She closed her eyes and stepped forward onto Sparrowkit's tail, letting it sit on her shoulder. She passed through the hanging tendrils, feeling them brush her face. Sparrowkit took his tail off her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. "Wow...," she breathed.

"I know, right? It looks like some training grounds-"

"-for flying!" Monarchkit finished. "I wonder how long it took them to build it." There was mossy ramps and stones across tiny streams, and branches spaced a little bit apart. But the most impressive thing of all were the floating rings of stone, high in the air, about three fox-lenths apart. 

"I wonder how they got those hoops up there," mewed Sparrowkit.

"Magic, of course." Now Monarchkit was really excited. Whoever made this both flew and worked magic. "This place is awesome! Have you tried it yet?"

"Tried what?" asked Sparrowkit.

"Flying!"

"You go first," mewed Sparrowkit, backing away slightly.

"Scaredy bird brain," Monarchkit purred. She unfolded her wings and gave them an experimental flap. She then started running across the grassy field, pumping her wings. She finally rose off the ground a couple mouse-lengths, but quickly fell again. "Let's see if you have more luck."

Sparrowkit raised his feathery wings, which were the same color as his coat, and took a running start with a great leap. He glided a couple feet, but Monarchkit thought it was probably just the propulsion of his jump carrying him. 

Monarchkit looked at the sky with a start. The leafy canopy above her glowed with bright sunlight, and she could see by the position of the sun that it was almost sun high. "Oh no! We need to get back!"

Sparrowkit grinned. "Don't worry. The entrance shifts to where we need to be. We'll show up at the entrance and say that we wanted to see outside of camp, and we're fine."

They padded to the exit together, pelts brushing.